At the 2023 Oscar ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
presented their traditional segment that highlighted the people in the film and TV
business that we lost last year. It’s always a touching montage of people in the business,
ranging from famous stars whom everyone was aware had passed, to people that were well known,
but whom the audience wasn’t aware had died, to some of the less known but equally important
people in the business. And despite the best intentions of the Academy’s tribute video, there
seem to be some fairly important and big names left out every year. This year's Oscar broadcast
was no different, and immediately after the presentation of the In Memoriam section,
people took to social media to lament some of the people who were missing from the tribute. In this
video, we’ll take a look at some of those snubs. So stick around,
as Facts Verse presents: The Oscars' In Memoriam Tragically Left Out These Huge Stars
The In Memoriam video was a heartfelt and touching tribute this year and contained a myriad of people
who were talented and beloved. 2022 was a year that saw its fair share of big losses, including
names like Rachel Welch, Ray Liotta, James Cahn, and Angela Lansbury. It also had many directors,
writers, and other folks who work primarily behind the camera. And for fans of the people
included in the video, it was a fitting tribute. That included the presenter of the video himself,
John Travolta. John notably lost two of his friends and former co-stars: Olivia Newton-John
and Kirstie Alley. He had started alongside Alley in the Look Who's Talking movies, and
with Newton-John in Grease. Travolta was clearly moved by the moment, as he held back tears at the
loss of his dear friends. And yet, there were some names that weren't a part of the montage…
Paul Sorvino The Sorvino family has been a part of Hollywood
for decades now, so this one was a pretty big shock to a lot of people. Legendary actor Paul
Sorvino passed away in July of 2022, after a lengthy and prolific career. He was born in 1939
in Brooklyn and made his film debut in Where’s Poppa, a film by Carl Reiner. Over the course of
the next few decades, he was in a slew of movies and TV show episodes. Some of his bigger roles
included a part in the classic Scorsese movie, Good Fellas, as well as his TV roles included
playing Bruce Willis's dad in Moonlighting, as well as playing Sergeant Phil Cerreta in season
two of Law & Order. He also had a successful career on stage, even earning a Tony award
for his performance in That Championship Season in 1972. He kept acting up until his death, appearing
recently as Jeff Garlin's father in The Goldbergs, and playing Frank Costello in The Godfather of
Harlem from 2019 to 2021. Notably, he came to his daughter's defense when it was revealed she'd been
blacklisted in Hollywood by Harvey Weinstein after she flatly rejected his sexual advances.
Paul said at the time, "If I had known it, he would not be walking. He'd be in a wheelchair.”
His absence from the In Memoriam was doubly odd, considering not only are 2 of his 3 children
actors as well, but his daughter Mira is an Academy Award winner herself. When he
died in 2022, Mira posted a clip of her hugging her famous dad after she won. After the Oscar
ceremony this year, Mira posted on Instagram about the snub. She wrote: “Incredibly hurt and shocked
that my father’s lifelong, irreplaceable, enormous contribution to the world of cinema
was overlooked by whoever made that list.” She added that his fans and family know how
great he was and that she hoped the Academy was able to find a way to right this wrong.
Anne Heche Another snub in the In Memoriam
was Anne Heche, who died last year in August. She had a long and illustrious career, despite dying
relatively young at age 53. Born in Ohio in 1969, Heche grew up in a fairly chaotic family dynamic,
with parents who were often trying “get rich quick” schemes and constantly moving the family
around. One of her first gigs as an entertainer was an odd one – she sang songs from the musical
“Annie” to help drum up business for a burger stand on the Atlantic City boardwalk. But it
was an early start to a career that took off not long after. She was on the soap, ‘Another World”
in the late 80s, and garnered a Daytime Emmy award for her portrayal of twins Vicky Hudson and Marley
Love. She was able to move into a film career, and gained recognition for her part in the indie film,
Walking and Talking. From there she was able to launch a career that saw her in a serious
of larger roles and bigger films. These included parts in Donnie Brasco, as well as Wag The Dog,
Volcano, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. She played a lead role opposite Harrison Ford
in Six Days, Seven Nights, and followed that up with a part in the modern remake of the classic
Hitchcock film, Psycho. She added directing into the mix in the late 1990s, and directed projects
like a segment of HBO's If These Walls Could Talk 2. She continued acting into the 2000s, focusing
mostly on TV appearances and indie movies. She also found success on stage and was a Tony Award
nominee for her role in Twentieth Century on Broadway. She continued with a successful acting
career for the next two decades, until her timely death. Her personal life was often the focus of
tabloids, as she was in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres for a number of years. She also
had episodes of mental health issues, and it's possible these contributed to her early passing.
Charlbi Dean Charlbi Dean was a
South African model and actress who sadly died at the age of 32 last year. Her death was the
result of bacterial sepsis, a condition that was made worse by her lack of a spleen. Doctors had
removed it years prior after Charlbi was in a car accident. And while it may have been
a live saving operation back then, it ultimately left her more susceptible to infections. Charlbi
had a brief but impressive career, beginning as a successful model. She started that career at
age 6 and was signed to an agency by the time she was 12. Her car accident happened in 2008,
after which she took some time off from her career to heal. But once she regained her
health, she began to dive into the acting world. She found success fairly quickly,
earning a part in the adaptation of Spud, as well as its sequel. She was also in two seasons of the
show Black Lightning. But her most high-profile gig cam only very recenfly. She played the lead
in Triangle Sadness, a movie that was nominated for best picture at this year's Oscars. It was
the success of that movie that led many to wonder why the actress wasn’t included in the In Memoriam
segment. She had garnered a lot of critical praise for her role in Triangle of Sadness, and
it likely would have served as the springboard to a blossoming career.
Leslie Jordan Character actor Leslie Jordan was enjoying a
renaissance of sorts when he tragically passed on last year. Born in 1995 in Chattanooga, TN, Jordan
was raised in a Southern Baptist household. As a young gay child, he never felt as if he fit in,
and felt a lot of shame because of the church’s teachings. But he managed to escape that life
and move to LA to pursue acting. Unfortunately, his fate in LA wasn’t that much better initially,
as he began taking drugs, drinking a lot, and even getting arrested a few times. But he managed to
slowly turn things around as his career started to get going. He recently noted that he’d been sober
for 13 years before he died. He found success primarily on stage and on TV. His most notable
role was perhaps his turn as Beverley Leslie in Will & Grace. He reprised the popular role in the
remake of the show as well. He had roles on shows like Hearts Afire in the 1990s, and more recently
American Horror Story and Call Me Kat. But oddly enough, Jordan may have achieved his most fame
through his Instagram account during the COVID-19 pandemic. He posted quirky vids that went viral,
and that ended up garnering nearly six million followers in 2020. It was that intense social
popularity that contributed to the outcry that he was omitted from the In Memoriam segment.
Tom Sizemore Tom Sizemore was
an intense and talented actor who carved out a long and successful career, despite his constant
struggles with addiction and issues with the law. He was born in 1961 in Detroit, and after getting
his master’s degree at Temple University, he set his sights on becoming an actor. He found initial
success at the tail end of the 1980s, with roles in movies like Lock Up and “Born on the Fourth of
July.” By the 1990s, his career was taking off, and he became known as a reliable character actor
who could round out a cast with grit, passion, and skilled acting. As such, he was cast in big
movies ranting from Passenger 57, to Heat, to Saving Private Ryan. His role in the TV movie,
Witness Protection, earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Sadly, Sizemore became perhaps
more famous for his issues with addiction than his acting career. He even agreed to put out a
reality show called “Shooting Sizemore” which chronicled his struggles with heroin and meth.
He also joined shows like Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, to help get past his addiction issues.
Now it’s time to hear from you. Do you think these actors should have
been included in the In Memoriam segment? Let us know in the comments section below!